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Mango, participant in the Eukanuba 28 day challenge
Many of you are probably already aware of the Eukanuba 28 day challenge. Dog Time Media recently invited me to take part in the challenge. Essentially, in exchange for 28 day supply of food provided at no charge, I agreed to try the food for 28 days and report back on how my dog did with the food.
I really wanted to participate in this challenge, but since I have cats instead of dogs, it posed a problem. But then my friends Tia and Sam mentioned that they were considering changing the diet for their pit bull, Mango. And Eukanuba was one of the foods they really wanted to consider trying. So, we made a deal. Mango would participate in the Eukanuba 28 day challenge. Sam and Tia would have the opportunity to try the food for her. And I would monitor her and blog about the experience.
Eukanuba Challenge: Choosing the Right Food
Mango is a female spayed pit bull and is approximately 16 months old. We chose the Eukanuba Adult Maintenance diet for her.
Eukanuba features a great variety of different types of foods and offers a food for just about any healthy dog. One of the nice things about the Eukanuba 28 day challenge is that Eukanuba has provided access to their nutrition experts. So, if you’re unsure which product is best suited to fit your dog’s needs, that information is just a phone call away. The Eukanuba experts will help you choose the most appropriate diet for your dog based on your dog’s age, weight, breed and overall health. That’s a giant plus in my book because making those decisions can be quite confusing for some pet owners.
Eukanuba Dog Food Quality
The packaging of the food is attractive with eye-catching colors and a nice-looking Dalmation on the front of the bag. Now, I know the appearance of the product is important for marketing. However, to me, that’s secondary to the quality of the food inside, as it probably is to most pet owners.
One of the first things I did when I received the food from Eukanuba was to look at the ingredient list. The first ingredient listed is chicken. I like that. In my opinion, the first ingredient in any quality dog or cat food should be a high quality protein source, preferably of animal origin. So, this diet fits the bill there.
What About Animal By-Products in Pet Food?
The second ingredient is chicken by-products. Now, some people might raise their eyebrows at that. There’s been a lot of negative media attention focused on foods that contain animal by-products. There are rumors galore on the internet about what body parts are included in by-products. Many of these rumors are simply unfounded, at least according to the clinical nutritionists that I trust. According to the text Canine and Feline Nutrition: A Resource for Companion Animal Resources (by Case, Daristotle, Hayek and Raasch, 3rd edition), by-products are defined as “the parts of these animals that are not typically used as human foods in the United States.” These parts include organ meats, blood, fat, stomach and intestines. However, products such as hair, horns, teeth, hoofs, feathers and feces are not included in animal by-products, despite claims to the contrary made by some sources.
How About Corn as an Ingredient in Dog Food?
The third ingredient in the Eukanuba Adult Maintenance food is corn. This also is a controversial subject in some circles and many people say that dogs should not eat corn. My opinion as a veterinarian, based on the reading that I have done on the subject, differs. I believe that corn is a reasonable source of carbohydrates in dog food. So, in this case, I’m content with the inclusion of corn as an ingredient.
If you dog is allergic to corn and experiences skin allergies or dietary sensitivity when fed diets with corn, I would advise choosing a corn-free or even a grain-free diet. Otherwise, as long as the corn is not being used solely as a filler, I see no reason to prohibit it as an ingredient in dog foods. In this case, being the third ingredient listed and following chicken and chicken by-products as the first two ingredients and knowing that the food is balanced, I am confident that the corn is present as a carbohydrate source and not solely as a filler.
Other things I like about this diet is that it contains FOS (fructooligosaccharides) as a prebiotic as well as a good ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Eukanuba 28 Day Challenge: Week One
Mango has just recently been started on the Eukanuba and is still in the process of a gradual transition from her old food to the new diet. It seems as though Mango likes the food since she is selectively choosing the Eukanuba nuggets over the other food nuggets. Soon, she will be eating the Eukanuba diet exclusively. I will keep you posted on how she responds to the food.
Apparently, Mango’s “brothers” like the food also. The other two dogs in the household, Skoshi and Gizmo, have been sneaking Mango’s diet in place of their own.
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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Not to be a nit picker, but how many different types of grains are there listed? (as it is quite easy to get the meat on the first place on the list by playing with different types of grains which in total would add up as the main ingredient but used as different kinds allow the chicken to end up listed first
Is it possible to see a difference after feeding a certain food for 28 days only?
That said, at one point Jasmine was on Eukanuba Fish and Potato and she quite liked it for the time being.
You can see the ingredient list, Jana. I see your point but at the same time, each ingredient in any diet adds nutrients to that diet. That’s true whether you’re talking about a commercial dog food or your own diet. No diet with only one or two ingredients in it is going to balanced. There’s just not one food item that contains all the necessary ingredients to maintain health.
In my opinion, the best way to judge a food is by evaluating how the animal responds to eating it. Do they maintain a good body weight? Do have pass normal feces? Does the fecal volume indicate that the food is highly digestible? Do they maintain a normal energy level? Does the food maintain a healthy hair and skin coat? I do believe that it is possible to see a difference in 28 days. In fact, I believe I’ve seen that happen more than once in my practice as a veterinarian. So, we’ll see what happens with Mango as she eats this food. But the patients I’ve cared for in the past that were eating Eukanuba products generally did well.
Our dog loves Eukanuba! Keep us posted on how Mango does!
I will definitely do that. So far, she’s doing very well and she loves the food too
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